Recent effects of tidal and hydro‐meteorological changes on coastal plains near the mouth of the Amazon River

The goal of this work was to understand the main hydrodynamic processes acting on tidal flats of the coast of Amapá near the mouth of the Amazon River, and how they change over the short term (~ 20 years). The analysis of morphological and geobotanical units was carried out by applying processing and interpretation methods to optical and synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images, combined with data on water salinity, maximum flood height, sedimentary facies data, rainfall and river discharge. The temporal analysis of morphological and geobotanical units suggests the relative stabilization of savannah, ‘várzea’ and mangrove areas during the drier period and increasing tidal amplitude between 1987 to 1997. The wetter period and decreasing tidal amplitude between 1997 to 2008 led to an increase in the area of ‘várzea’ and lakes over savannah, and the expansion of mangroves mainly over the inundated field and tidal mud/mixed flats. Therefore, the decrease in rainfall index during the drier period is well‐correlated with the reduction of the Calçoene River discharge and jointly with increasing tidal amplitude favored the increase of migration rate of the mud bank and erosion profile along the littoral. It was followed by the increase of the Calçoene River discharge and jointly with decreasing tidal amplitude during the wetter period, favoring the development of mangroves on muddy substrates near the coastline. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Magnetic fabrics and their relationship with the emplacement of the Piracaia pluton,SE Brazil

Magnetic fabric and rock-magnetism studies were performed on the four units of the 578 ± 3-Ma-old Piracaia pluton (NW of São Paulo State, southern Brazil). This intrusion is roughly elliptical (~32 km²), composed of (i) coarse-grained monzodiorite (MZD-c), (ii) fine-grained monzodiorite (MZD-f), which is predominant in the pluton, (iii) monzonite heterogeneous (MZN-het), and (iv) quartz syenite (Qz-Sy). Magnetic fabrics were determined by applying both anisotropy of low-field magnetic susceptibility (AMS) and anisotropy of anhysteretic remanent magnetization (AARM). The two fabrics are coaxial. The parallelism between AMS and AARM tensors excludes the presence of a single domain (SD) effect on the AMS fabric of the units. Several rock-magnetism experiments performed in one specimen from each sampled units show that for all of them, the magnetic susceptibility and magnetic fabrics are carried by magnetite grains, which was also observed in the thin sections. Foliations and lineations in the units were successfully determined by applying magnetic methods. Most of the magnetic foliations are steeply dipping or vertical in all units and are roughly parallel to the foliation measured in the field and in the country rocks. In contrast, the magnetic lineations present mostly low plunges for the whole pluton. However, for eight sites, they are steep up to vertical. Thin-section analyses show that rocks from the Piracaia pluton were affected by the regional strain during and after emplacement since magmatic foliation evolves to solid-state fabric in the north of the pluton, indicating that magnetic fabrics in this area of the pluton are related to this strain. Otherwise, the lack of solid-state deformation at outcrop scale and in thin sections precludes deformation in the SW of the pluton. This evidence allows us to interpret the observed magnetic fabrics as primary in origin (magmatic) acquired when the rocks were solidified as a result of magma flow, in which steeply plunging magnetic lineation suggests that a feeder zone could underlie this area.     

东海陆架盆地西南部中生代地层的发现

东海陆架盆地福州凹陷的中生代地层发育较全 ,分布较广泛 ,而且夹有滨海相地层 ,但曾解释为第三纪地层。根据岩性及孢粉 ( Cyathidites- K lukisporites- Dictyophyllidites,Classopollisannulatus- Schizaeoisporites- Exesipol-lenites tumulus)组合 ,介形类 ( Eucypris?sp.,Metacypris sp.)形态的分析对比 ,可与我国东部、尤其是浙闽等地的同年代地层相比拟。结合同位素绝对年龄测定数据、地震反射界面性质和倾角测井等项资料 ,自下而上建立福州组、渔山组和闽江组 ,依次划归下—中侏罗统 ,上侏罗统—下白垩统和上白垩统。     

Environmental assessment and nano-mineralogical characterization of coal,overburden and sediment from Indian coal mining acid drainage

The deterioration of environmental conditions is the major contributory factor to poor health and quality of life that hinders sustainable development in any region.Coal mining is one of the major industries that contribute to the economy of a country but it also impacts the environment.The chemical parameters of the coal,overburden,soil and sediments along with the coal mine drainage(CMD)were investigated in order to understand the overall environmental impact from high sulphur coal mining at northeastern coalfield(India).It was found that the total sulphur content of the coal is noticeably high compared to the overburden(OB)and soil.The volatile matter of the coal is sufficiently high against the high ash content of the soil and overburden.The water samples have a High Electrical Conductivity(EC)and high Total Dissolve Solid(TDS).Lower values of pH,indicate the dissolution of minerals present in the coal as well as other minerals in the mine rejects/overburden.The chemical and nano-mineralogical composition of coal,soil and overburden samples was studied using a High Resolution-Transmission Electron Microscopy(HR-TEM),Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy(EDS),Selected-Area Diffraction(SAED),Field Emission-Scanning Electron Microscopy(FE-SEM)/EDS,X-ray diffraction(XRD),Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy(FTIR),Raman and Ion-Chromatographic analysis,and Mossbauer spectroscopy.From different geochemical analysis it has been found that the mine water sample from Ledo colliery has the lowest pH value of 3.30,Tirap colliery samples have the highest electrical conductivity value of5.40 ms cm~(-1)Both Ledo and Tirap coals have total sulphur contents within the range 3-3.50%.The coal mine water from Tirap colliery(TW-15 B)has high values of Mg~(2+)(450 ppm),and Br~-(227.17 ppm).XRD analysis revealed the presence of minerals including quartz and hematite in the coals.Mineral analysis of coal mine overburden(OB)indicates the presence both of pyrite and marcasite which was also confirmed in XRD and Mossbauer spectral analysis.The presented data of the minerals and ultra/nano-particles present shows their ability to control the mobility of hazardous elements,suggesting possible use in environmental management technology,including restoration of the delicate Indian coal mine areas.     

Pollution — a French perspective

A summary of the various forms of pollution control discussed at an international Anti-Pollution Course held at the French Merchant Marine School in Marseilles on 13–25 June 1977.     

微乳液毛细管电动色谱

从微乳液的组成、性质及其在高效毛细管电泳中的应用等几个方面论述了近8年来微乳液毛细管电动色谱的发展。     

A relation between extreme daily precipitation and extreme short term precipitation

The Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI) has published the KNMI’06 climate scenarios in 2006. These scenarios give the possible states of the climate in The Netherlands for the next century. Projections of changes in precipitation were made for a time scale of 1 day. The urban drainage sector is, however, more interested in projections on shorter time scales. Specifically, time scales of 1 h or less. The aim of this research is to provide projections of precipitation at these shorter time scales based on the available daily scenarios. This involves an analysis of climate variables and their relations to precipitation at different time scales. On the basis of this analysis, one can determine a numeric factor to translate daily projections into shorter time scale projections.     

Origin of the Tongshankou porphyry–skarn Cu–Mo deposit,eastern Yangtze craton,Eastern China: geochronological,geochemical, and Sr–Nd–Hf isotopic constraints

The Tongshankou Cu–Mo deposit, located in the westernmost Daye district of the Late Mesozoic Metallogenic Belt along the Middle-Lower reaches of the Yangtze River, eastern China, consists mainly of porphyry and skarn ores hosted in the Tongshankou granodiorite and along the contact with the Lower Triassic marine carbonates, respectively. Sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe zircon U–Pb dating constrains the crystallization of the granodiorite at 140.6 ± 2.4 Ma (1σ). Six molybdenite samples from the porphyry ores yield Re–Os isochron age of 143.8 ± 2.6 Ma (2σ), while a phlogopite sample from the skarn ores yields an ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar plateau age of 143.0 ± 0.3 Ma and an isochron age of 143.8 ± 0.8 Ma (2σ), indicating an earliest Cretaceous mineralization event. The Tongshankou granodiorite has geochemical features resembling slab-derived adakites, such as high Sr (740–1,300 ppm) and enrichment in light rare earth elements (REE), low Sc (<10 ppm), Y (<13.3 ppm), and depletion in heavy REE (<1.2 ppm Yb), and resultant high Sr/Y (60–92) and La/Yb (26–75) ratios. However, they differ from typical subduction-related adakites by high K, low MgO and Mg#, and radiogenic Sr–Nd–Hf isotopic compositions, with (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr) _t  = 0.7062–0.7067, ɛ _Nd(t) = −4.37 to −4.63, (¹⁷⁶Hf/¹⁷⁷Hf) _t  = 0.282469–0.282590, and ɛ _Hf(t) = −3.3 to −7.6. The geochemical and isotopic data, coupled with geological analysis, indicate that the Tongshankou granodiorite was most likely generated by partial melting of enriched lithospheric mantle that was previously metasomitized by slab melts related to an ancient subduction system. Magmas derived from such a source could have acquired a high oxidation state, as indicated by the assemblage of quartz–magnetite–titanite–amphibole–Mg-rich biotite in the Tongshankou granodiorite and the compositions of magmatic biotite that fall in the field between the NiNiO and magnetite–hematite buffers in the Fe³⁺–Fe²⁺–Mg diagram. Sulfur would have been present as sulfates in such highly oxidized magmas, so that chalcophile elements Cu and Mo were retained as incompatible elements in the melt, contributing to subsequent mineralization. A compilation of existing data reveals that porphyry and porphyry-related Cu–Fe–Au–Mo mineralization from Daye and other districts of the Metallogenic Belt along the Middle-Lower reaches of the Yangtze River took place coevally in the Early Cretaceous and was related to an intracontinental extensional environment, distinctly different from the arc-compressive setting of the Cenozoic age that has been responsible for the emplacement of most porphyry Cu deposits of the Pacific Rim.     

Earliest human remains in Eurasia: New 40Ar/39Ar dating of the Dmanisi hominid-bearing levels,Georgia

Several hominid remains have been discovered in the open-air site of Dmanisi (Georgia), the oldest prehistoric site in Eurasia. Two major arguments prove that this site is close in age to the Plio-Pleistocene boundary: a Villafranchian fauna and the morphological characteristics of hominid remains recently ascribed to Homo georgicus. Direct dating of the lower hominid-bearing level was carried out on volcanic glass and minerals using the ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar method. The concordant results from two different sampled locations allow the determination of the age of the earliest human presence in Eurasia. This radioisotopic result strengthens the argument that the first dispersal of hominids outside Africa occurred at least 1.8 Ma ago.     

Bivalve population health: Multistress to identify hot spots

This study investigated some stress (metals, parasites) and response (immunity, metallothionein) factors in two cockle and two Manila clam populations. Data from eight seasons were averaged to obtain global baseline values. Stress/response characteristics of each population were compared to population health status that was determined through population dynamics parameters. Four different scenarios were discussed: (1) a lightly stressed cockle population with correct population health but with a risk of deterioration (hot spot); (2) a lightly stressed introduced cockle population threatened of extinction. In this case ecological factors were suspected; (3) a moderately stressed clam population with moderate adaptative response. The population was sustainable but the level of stress should not increase (hotspot); and (4) a stressed clam population and unfavourable ecological conditions preventing clam settlement. This monitoring highlighted that the discrepancy between population health and stress levels could be due to insufficient response by bivalves and/or by unfavourable ecological factors.